YORK City look set to return to action in late July after Altrincham revealed the Vanarama National League North play-off campaign schedule.
According to a club statement by Altrincham, who York could face in their first match back, the target date for the play-off eliminators is July 18/19 with the semi-finals taking place on July 25/26 and the final being staged on the weekend of August 1/2.
Should all six teams compete in the play-offs, then the following structure for play-off matches would be in place:
Brackley Town would face Gateshead while Altrincham would host Chester in the eliminators on the weekend of July 18/19.
York City would then take on the winner of Altrincham vs Chester and Boston United would go up against either Brackley or Gateshead in the two semi-finals on July 25/26.
The final would then take place on August 1/2.
The highest placed side in the final league standings after points-per-game will host each match.
While the dates for the play-offs fixtures throughout the National League's three divisions have yet to be formally announced by the league, National League South club Dorking Wanderers claimed on social media that the play-offs were taking place.
Writing on Twitter, they also revealed that "one of the National League's biggest priorities is screening the games for supporters".
They added that "talks are nearly complete with BT Sport."
Normally, the broadcaster shows matches solely from the National League, though it is thought that this is looking to be extended for the play-off campaigns in the National League North and National League South.
The updates provided by Altrincham and Dorking come after a meeting by the 12 clubs competing in the Step Two play-offs on Friday.
In the meeting it was revealed that clubs will be required to develop a thorough Covid-19 risk assessment and stadium management plan in order to host play-off matches.
This plan would include each hosting club appointing a Covid Officer and a Medical Officer, both of whom must have approval from the region's Safety Advisory Group and the National League.
Each club must also develop a viable testing process for Covid-19 for all of its players and club staff.
These tests must gain approval from the National League Medical Officer.
Crucially, testing is required to take place weekly for a minimum of a three-week period, which is likely to incur a significant cost for clubs.
Despite a formal fixture list for play-offs not yet being officially drawn up, at present, most National League North clubs have publicly stated that they will take part.
York, Boston, Altrincham and Gateshead have all openly indicated that they will compete.
In a statement, Chester laid out their position, saying: "The Board is continuing to work tirelessly on this matter and wishes to reiterate our desire to uphold the integrity of the competition and to ensure (we) have the opportunity to finish the 2019/20 season on the pitch.
"However, we cannot risk the financial security of the Club and this will be paramount to our decision."
Brackley meanwhile said "there are some significant challenges to overcome for us."
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